Container hanging tool

Abstract

To provide a container hanging tool capable of hanging a container even when containers are placed flat with no gaps therebetween, lifting the container by an electric hoist while supporting the container with both hands, and safely transporting the container.SOLUTION: A container hanging tool (10) for lifting a container (1) having an opening (2) by using an electric hoist comprises a flexible belt-like body (30) and a pair of locking members (20) connected to both ends of the belt-like body and adapted to be hooked onto the opening. Each of the locking members includes a plate-like base portion having one end to which the belt-like body is connected, an outer hook claw (24) extending on a front surface side of the base portion from a position spaced from the other end of the base portion toward the one end, an inner hook claw (26) extending from the other end of the base portion on a back surface side of the base portion, and grips (28A, 28B) provided on the back surface side of the base portion. A holder portion to which an operation device for operating the electric hoist can be fixed is formed on the grip (28B) of one of the locking members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container lifting device used when lifting and transporting a container, which is a box-shaped container. [Background technology]

[0002] A container lifting device for suspending a container by hooking a metal hook onto an opening that serves as a handle and lifting the container for transporting is shown, for example, in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, Figure 12 of Patent Document 1 discloses a manner of using the container lifting device when lifting and transporting stacked containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-73792 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the configuration of the container lifting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows stacked containers to be lifted and transported, but since the hook fittings must be inserted from the outside of the container opening to be fastened, it is not possible to fasten the hook fittings to the container opening when, for example, multiple containers are placed flat with no gaps between them.

[0005] Furthermore, if the hook metal fittings were inserted from the inside of the container opening and fastened, there was a risk that the hook metal fittings would be pulled inward and come off the opening when the container was lifted.

[0006] Furthermore, container hoists are generally used by connecting them to the lower hook of an electric hoist such as an electric winch or electric chain hoist, but the wired or wireless push button switch that operates the hoist is provided separately from the container hoist, making it impossible to transport the container by operating the push button switch while supporting it with both hands.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a container lifting device that enables a container to be lifted and transported by an electric hoist while being supported with both hands, and that can safely lift containers even when multiple containers are placed flat with no gaps between them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] [1] In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container hoisting device for hoisting a box-shaped container having openings for handling formed on opposing sides thereof using an electric hoist, the container hoisting device comprising: a flexible band; and a pair of locking members connected to both ends of the band and hooked to the openings, the locking members having a plate-shaped base portion to one end of which the band is connected; an outer hook extending from the other end of the base portion on the front side of the base portion at a position spaced apart from the one end; an inner hook extending from the other end of the base portion on the back side of the base portion; and a handle provided on the back side of the base portion, wherein the handle of one of the locking members is formed with a holder portion capable of fixing an operating device for operating the electric hoist.

[0009] [2] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is that, in the invention described in [1] above, the operating device is a wireless transmitter, and is preferably attached to the holder part so that the push button can be operated with the thumb while holding the handle.

[0010] [3] In another aspect of the present invention, in the invention described in [1] or [2] above, it is preferable that the outer hooking claw is attached to the base portion so as to be slidable and rotatable.

[0011] [4] In another aspect of the present invention, in the invention described in [1] or [2] above, it is preferable that the strip is provided with a spacing bar having a total length slightly shorter than or approximately the same as the long side of the container, for spacing the pair of locking members when the strip is suspended.

[0012] [5] In another aspect of the present invention, in the invention described in [3] above, it is preferable that the strip is provided with a spacing bar having a total length slightly longer than the long side of the container, for spacing the pair of locking members apart when the strip is suspended.

[0013] [6] In another aspect of the present invention, in the invention described in any one of [1] to [5] above, it is preferable that the band-shaped body is provided with an adjustment fitting that allows the overall length to be adjusted by folding it over. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a container lifting device is provided that enables a container to be lifted and transported by an electric hoist while being supported with both hands, and that can safely lift containers even when multiple containers are placed flat with no gaps between them. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration and usage of a container lifting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which a container is lifted by an external hook. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of a pair of locking members of the container suspender shown in FIG. 1, viewed from one direction. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of a pair of locking members of the container suspender shown in FIG. 1, seen from another direction. FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the container hoisting device of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a spacing bar is provided on the container hoisting device of FIG. 1 and two stacked containers are hoisted. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a spacing bar is provided on the container hoisting device of FIG. 1 and a container is hoisted by the inner hooks. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view showing one of the locking members of a container hoisting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] (First embodiment) A container hoisting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of a container is defined as the X direction, the lateral direction as the Y direction, and the vertical direction as the Z direction in each drawing.

[0017] The container 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a plastic box-shaped container, with four outer faces that form pairs of parallel, opposing vertical surfaces. A rectangular opening 2 serving as a handle is formed at the top center of each outer face. The top of this container is not provided with a lid, and the bottom of the container is designed so that when other containers are stacked, the edges of the top of the lower container engage with the edges of the bottom of the upper container, preventing the lower container from crushing its contents, such as agricultural produce, and preventing the stacked containers from shifting sideways when their four corners are aligned. While the container 1 in this embodiment is lidless, it may have a lid.

[0018] <About the configuration of container lifting equipment> Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration and usage of a container hoisting device 10 that hoists this container 1. Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of a pair of locking members 20 that make up the container hoisting device 10. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the container hoisting device alone. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the container hoisting device 10 is mainly composed of a band 30 and a pair of locking members 20 connected to both ends of the band 30.

[0019] The band-like body 30 is a flexible, flat belt made of nylon or polyester fiber, approximately 5 cm wide and 4 m long. A metal D-ring 32 is provided in the center of the band-like body 30 for hooking the container hoist 10 onto the lower hook of an electric hoist (not shown). To position the D-ring 32 in the center of the band-like body 30, a short strap 34 is sewn to this portion, with the straight portion of the D-ring 32 positioned between the band-like body 30 and the short strap 34. The ends of the band-like body 30 are passed through overlapping belt adjustment buckles 36, which are metal fittings with two slit-shaped belt loops, allowing the length of the belt connected to the locking member 20, which will be described next, to be adjusted.

[0020] 2 and 3, the locking member 20 has an outer hook 24, an inner hook 26, and handles 28A and 28B formed on a substantially rectangular, flat base 22 elongated in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the base 22 is formed by connecting and integrating an upper metal flat plate 22A, on which the outer hook 24 (described below) is formed by bending, and a lower metal flat plate 22B, on which the inner hook 26 is formed by bending. A slit 23 elongated in the Y direction is opened at the upper end of the base 22, and a band-shaped body 30 is inserted through this slit 23 and folded back so as to sandwich the upper end of the base 22. The folded back band-shaped body 30 is then inserted through the belt adjustment buckle 36 described above to prevent it from slipping out.

[0021] The external hooks 24 are formed by bending a rectangular metal plate having a width slightly shorter than the width of the opening 2 of the container 1. In this embodiment, the external hooks 24 are formed by bending the lower end (lower side in the Z direction) of a metal plate that forms the upper side (upper side in the Z direction) of the base 22 in two stages to form a hook-shaped cross-section. The interior angle of the first stage near the tip (in the X direction) is approximately 120 degrees, and the second stage is 90 degrees. That is, when viewed from the base 22 as a reference, the external hooks 24 extend from approximately the center of the surface side of the base 22 toward the inside in the X direction (the side where the pair of locking members face each other). They are inserted into the opening 2 from the outside of the container 1 and latch onto the upper edge of the opening 2. The external hooks 24 are covered with a relatively soft cushioning material made of rubber or plastic resin to prevent the external hooks 24 from damaging agricultural produce or the like stored in the container 1 when inserted into the opening 2 from the outside of the container 1.

[0022] Like the outer hooking claws 24, the inner hooking claws 26 are formed by bending a rectangular metal flat plate through a bending process. The inner hooking claws 26 are formed by bending the lower end side (lower side in the Z direction) of a metal flat plate that forms the lower side (lower side in the Z direction) of the base portion 22 in two stages at a predetermined angle so as to form a hook-shaped cross section, and are also covered with a cushioning material, similar to the outer hooking claws 24. However, the lower metal flat plate 22B portion that forms the lower side of the base portion 22 is slightly longer in the Z direction than the upper metal flat plate 22A portion of the outer hooking claws 24 that forms the upper side of the base portion 22. When viewed from the base portion 22 as a reference, the inner hooking claws 26 extend outward in the X direction (toward the side where the pair of locking members do not face each other) from the back surface of the base portion 22, and are inserted into the opening 2 from the inside of the container 1 to hook the upper side of the opening 2.

[0023] The base portion 22 is formed by connecting a flat metal plate on which the outer hooking claws 24 are formed and the upper part of a flat metal plate on which the inner hooking claws 26 are formed using flat head screws (countersunk screws). The outer hooking claws 24 extend inward in the X direction near the center of the front surface side (the opposing surface side of the paired locking members 20) of the connected and integrated base portion 22, and the inner hooking claws 26 extend outward in the X direction at the lower end of the back surface side of the base portion 22.

[0024] Of course, the locking member 20 can also be constructed by joining the outer hooking claws 24 and inner hooking claws 26 to the flat metal plate that forms the base portion 22 by means of welding or the like, but by constructing it by connecting bent flat metal plates, manufacturing costs can be reduced and strength can be achieved greater than with welding.

[0025] One of the pair of locking members 20 (on the left in FIG. 1 ) has a gate-shaped handle 28A that can be gripped by an operator's hand attached with a screw near the center of the back side (outside) of the base portion 22. The other of the pair of locking members 20 (on the right in FIG. 1 ) also has a handle 28B near the center of the back side (outside) of the base portion 22, but this handle 28B also serves as a holder for fixing an operating device for operating the electric hoist. The inner hook 26 and the handles 28A, 28B provided on the back side of the base portion 22 are spaced apart enough that when the inner hook 26 is hooked into the opening 2 of the container 1, the operator's hands gripping the handles 28A, 28B will not come into contact with the container 1.

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the operating device is a wireless transmitter 5 that is a small, vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped push-button switch, with four push buttons lined up on its front. From the rear in the Y direction, these push buttons are a raising operation button, a lowering operation button, a mode switching button, and an emergency stop button. The raising operation button and the lowering operation button are two-stage push-type buttons; pressing them once operates the hoist motor at low speed, and pressing them twice operates the hoist motor at high speed. The mode switching button is a button for switching on the float mode of a so-called electric chain balancer, which is an electric hoist that will be described later. A button for turning the main power of the wireless transmitter 5 on and off is provided on the side of the operating device.

[0027] Handle 28B, which also serves as the holder for right-side locking member 20, is made by bending a metal plate to form a space into which rectangular parallelepiped-shaped wireless transmitter 5 can be pushed in from the outside in the X direction. Its shape allows it to sandwich wireless transmitter 5 between its top and bottom surfaces and contact its back surface, thereby detachably holding it. Furthermore, a finger hook 29 is provided on the back side (the lower side in the Z direction) of handle 28B, which forms the holder, for hooking fingers from index finger to little finger. This finger hook 29 is designed to allow a user to easily operate the push button with their thumb while placing fingers other than the thumb on it. That is, when lightly gripping wireless transmitter 5 in the palm of one's hand, wrapping it around the side, finger hook 29 is positioned and angled so that a standard-sized hand can easily press the push button with the thumb and easily hold all four fingers.

[0028] 5 and 6, a spacing bar 40 with a total length slightly shorter than or approximately the same as the long sides of the container can be attached to this container hoist 10 as needed, in order to separate the pair of locking members 20 when the container is suspended from the band 30. The spacing bar 40 consists of end fittings 44, each of which has two slits formed at both ends of a strong metal tension rod 42 through which the band 30 passes, and is attached so that the end fittings 44 are equidistant on both sides of the D-ring 32. The spacing bar 40 has such a length so that when two-tiered containers 1 are lifted by the container hoist 10, the upper container is lightly clamped between the band 30 and stabilized.

[0029] Next, we will explain how to use the container hoist 10 described above. First, hook the D-ring 32 of the container hoist 10 onto the lower hook of a hoist such as a lightweight crane and suspend the container. Then, operate the hoist by operating the wireless transmitter 5, and align the external hooks 24 so that they are at the same height as the opening 2 of the container 1. Next, insert the external hooks 24 of each locking member 20 into the opening 2 of the container 1 from the outside, and in this state, operate the wireless transmitter 5 again to hoist the hoist and lift the container 1. Since the electric hoist of this embodiment is an electric chain balancer with a float function that allows the load or the like to be raised or lowered by directly placing one's hand on it and applying a light external force, the mode switch button of the wireless transmitter 5 is pressed to turn on the float mode while the container 1 is hoisted. All that remains is for the worker to apply external force to the handles 28A, 28B or the lifted container 1 by hand to transport it in the air, and finally, by pressing the lowering operation button, the lifted container 1 is lowered to the desired position and the external hooks 24 are removed from the opening 2 to complete the work. Note that by pressing the raising operation button or the lowering operation button, the float mode is automatically released, and the container will resume normal lifting / lowering operations by push button operation. Of course, this container lifting device 10 can be used with a general hoist that does not have a float function and performs lifting / lowering operations only by push button operation.

[0030] Furthermore, by adjusting the length of the strap 30 of this container hoisting device 10 using the belt adjustment buckle 36 and attaching a spacing bar 40 to the strap 30 with a total length slightly shorter or approximately the same as the container's long side, two-tiered containers 1 can be hoisted. As shown in Figure 5, by hooking the external hooks 24 onto the opening 2 of the lower container 1 from the outside and lifting it, the strap 30 presses against the two sides of the upper container 1, allowing the stacked containers 1 to be transported stably. The spacing bar 40 is used to prevent a large inward force from the pressure force of the strap 30 acting on the upper container 1, particularly on the upper portion of the opening 2. However, if such a large force does not act, the spacing bar 40 does not need to be used. While the above description is of two-tiered containers 1, this container hoisting device 10 can also be used to hoist and transport containers 1 stacked three or more levels.

[0031] Furthermore, this container hoisting device 10 can also hoist the container 1 when, for example, the container 1 is placed flat on the floor with no gap between them and the outer hooks 24 cannot be inserted from the outside of the container 1's opening 2. In other words, in such cases, as shown in FIG. 6 , the same spacing bar 40 as above is used, and the inner hooks 26 are inserted into the opening 2 from the inside of the container 1's opening 2 to hook the inner hooks 26 to the opening 2. In this state, the wireless transmitter 5 is operated to wind up the hoist, and the container 1 can be hoisted. Other operations are the same as above, so repeated explanations will be omitted. The spacing bar 40 is used to prevent the locking members 20 hooked to the container 1 from being pulled inward by the band 30 and tilting too much, causing the inner hooks 26 to come off the opening 2. However, if there is no such concern, it need not be used.

[0032] <About the effects> The container hoisting device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention not only allows the hoisting device to be hooked externally to the opening 2 of the container 1 to lift it, but also allows the hoisting device to be hooked internally to the opening 2 of the container 1 to safely lift the container 1, even when, for example, multiple containers 1 are laid flat with no gaps between them. In addition, because the operating device is fixed to the handles, it can be operated even while holding both handles, making it possible to lift the container 1 while supporting it with both hands, allowing for safer transport of the container 1.

[0033] (Second embodiment) A container hoisting device 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] <About the configuration of container lifting equipment> The container hoisting device 10 of this embodiment, shown in a side view in Figure 7, is mainly composed of a band-like body 30, a locking member 20, and a spacing bar (not shown). The band-like body 30 is the same as in the first embodiment, and the spacing bar 40 is longer than that of the first embodiment, being slightly longer than the long side of the container 1, and other than that, the description of these is omitted. Other similar components are given the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

[0035] The locking member 20 has an outer hooking claw 24 and an inner hooking claw 26 formed on a base portion 22 that is a generally rectangular flat plate that is long in the Z direction. In the container hoisting device 10 of this embodiment, the base portion 22 and the inner hooking claw 26 are integrally formed by bending a metal flat plate, and a strip 30 is inserted into a slit 23 provided on the upper end side of the base portion 22. In other words, the inner hooking claw 26 is formed into the same shape as in the first embodiment by bending the lower end of the metal flat plate that constitutes the base portion 22 toward the back side (to the right in the X direction).

[0036] Meanwhile, an outer hooking claw 24 is attached near the center of the surface side (left side in the X direction) of the base portion 22 so as to be slidably rotatable relative to the base portion 22. This outer hooking claw 24 is formed by welding a round rod 27 to the center of the underside of a V-shaped metal plate similar in shape to the inner hooking claw 26, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outer hooking claw 24. This round rod 27 is inserted into a round hole (not shown) provided in the base portion 22 and fixed so as to be rotatable around its axis. Therefore, on the surface side of the base portion 22, the outer hooking claw 24 can rotate around the round rod 27 while sliding along the surface of the base portion 22. Note that the outer hooking claw 24 is held in place by friction with the base portion 22 and will not rotate unintentionally. However, it can be rotated by applying an external force in a rotational direction greater than the frictional force. The other locking member in the pair has a similar structure, but is simply designed to allow the outer hooking claw to rotate, so drawings and explanations are omitted.

[0037] <About the effects> This container hoist 10 can be used in the same manner as in the first embodiment to lift and transport a container 1 using the outer hooks 24 or inner hooks 26. Furthermore, when the outer hooks 24 are hooked from the outside of the opening 2 of the container 1 and the container is hoisted, if an operator manually applies force to tilt the container 1, the outer hooks 24 will rotate while sliding on the base 22, allowing the container 1 to be tilted to the desired angle and the contents of the container 1, such as agricultural produce (e.g., mandarin oranges), to be easily removed by rolling them. Furthermore, because the spacing bar 40 is slightly longer than the long side of the container 1, the tilted container 1 will not interfere with the strip 30 of the container hoist 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...Container 2...Opening 5...Wireless transmitter 10...Container lifting device 20...Locking member 22...Base part 22A…Upper metal flat plate 22B…Lower metal flat plate 23...Slit 24...External hook 26...Inner hook 27...Round bar 28A...Handle 28B...Handle (holder part) 29...Finger hook 30...Band 32...D ring 34...Short belt 36...Belt adjustment buckle 40...Distancing bar 42...Tension rod 44...End fitting

Claims

1. A container lifting device for lifting a box-shaped container having openings for handling formed on opposing sides using an electric hoist, a flexible band-shaped body; and a pair of fastening members connected to both ends of the band-shaped body and fastened to the opening, The locking member has a plate-shaped base portion to one end of which the strip is connected, an outer hook extending from the other end of the base portion on the front side of the base portion at a position spaced from the other end toward the one end, an inner hook extending from the other end of the base portion on the back side of the base portion, and a handle provided on the back side of the base portion, The handle of one of the locking members is formed with a holder portion capable of fixing an operating device for operating the electric hoist. A container lifting device characterized by the above.

2. The operation device is a wireless transmitter and is attached to the holder part so that a push button can be operated with a thumb while holding the handle.

2. The container sling according to claim 1.

3. The external hook is attached to the base portion so as to be slidable and rotatable.

3. A container hoisting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The belt-shaped body has a spacing member of a length slightly shorter than or approximately the same as the long side of the container, for spacing the pair of locking members apart when the belt-shaped body is suspended. A partition bar is provided, 3. A container hoisting device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The band-shaped body is provided with a spacing bar having a total length slightly longer than the long side of the container, for spacing the pair of locking members apart when the band-shaped body is suspended.

4. The container hoisting device according to claim 3.

6. The band-shaped body is provided with an adjustment fitting that allows the total length to be adjusted by folding it back.

6. A container hoisting device according to claim 1.

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